Be Aware: Medicare Card Scam

Medicare will be issuing replacement cards in phases, starting April 2018 through the end of 2019. Social Security numbers will be replaced with random digits and letters.

Scammers have begun contacting Medicare recipients to tell them—falsely—they’ll need to pay for their new Medicare card, one that won’t have the Social Security number on the front. The scammer calls and asks people to verify their existing number. The scammer states that you will lose your benefits if you don’t get the new card and that Congress requires a fee for the new card. This fee must be taken directly out of your checking account number. So then the scammer requests your bank account information.

Know that the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services will never call or email you and ask you for personal information. You can expect to receive the new card in the mail, just as you did your original Medicare card. Should you receive such a call/email, hang up the phone or close the email and report it to Senior Medicare Patrol at 877-767-4359.

Medicare & the State of NJ provide free Medicare counseling through the State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP). For Mercer County residents, contact: Family Guidance Center, Cathy Forbes, SHIP Coordinator on (609) 393-1626 for further information or to set up an appointment for individualized advice.